Albion
by TheAuthor1996
Summary: Merlin is now a uncountable century aged old man known as Mr Emrys; Upon witnessing a strange change in the weather causing a local valley surrounding a historic monument to become flooded, Merlin realises that the prophecy of Arthur's return is about to come to pass.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Waters Return**

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 _Heavy rainfall fell from dark storm clouds upon a grey stone tower, turning the structure's architecture a much darker grey as lightning struck from above. It was amidst the disastrous weather, an elegant hand suddenly thrust a gleaming sword with a golden plaque embedded with symbols within the blade from beneath deep waters._

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An old man suddenly startled awake and gasped for breath before lifting a shaking hand to his wrinkled forehead as he tried to shake away the nightmare that had troubled him.

* * *

The aged residents of a sterilise care home in Gastonbury where gathered in the living area as the program of BBC News began; An old man frowned at the sight of the tower sat upon the hill from his dream the night before was displayed on the television screen,

"... Turn it up" he grumbled firmly causing a nurse to obey his request so that the old man could hear the news reporter more clearly,

 _"... Following a fierce, unexpected storm last night. The valley surrounding the ancient tower known to the public as Glastonbury Tor has been flooded and has since been closed off to the public until the water subsides. The new surrounding lake has covered the surrounded valley for a number of several hours now and attempts by the local fire department to pump it away have failed due to equipment failure. The national trust whom hold ownership of the area hope that soon they will be able to reopen the historic area to public visitors once more..."_ The reporter explained before moving on to another headline story... The old man whom requested the tv's volume to be raised wore a frown upon his face, earning a nurse's concern,

"... Mr Emrys?... Is everything alright?" the woman asked, placing a caring hand upon his shoulder, bringing his attention back to reality and eventually nodded,

"... Yes... I... I'm tired... I wish to return to my chambers" the aged man explained so that the nurse helped him to stand and escort him back to his room.

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It was that night that 'Mr Emrys' retrieved a large transparent crystal from his personal room safe and looked at it with a frown,

 _"Ignium"_ he whispered scratchily causing a small flame to appear within the palm of his hand which he moved beneath the crystal causing a projection to display upon his bedroom wall; The projection held writing that read:

 _'Days, Weeks, Years & Centuries shall pass bringing the time in which the waters of Avalon shall run dry... When destiny brings the day that Albion's need is greatest. The once mortal King known as Arthur shall be permitted back to the mortal realm. The waters of Avalon shall run again and a meteor shower shall fall from the heavens as the portal from Avalon opens and the once and future King shall return'._

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The old man slowly developed a smile upon his aged face as he realised his very old friend was returning after waiting for so many centuries... He was ready to take up the role of his destiny once again as he had done so many centuries earlier when he was no more than a young serving boy.

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 **I've seen many people like me wanting a new series of Merlin so hopefully this story will give myself and them some comfort. Please let me know if you want chapter 2!**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Sorcerer's Apprentice**

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An aged Merlin watched and times the nurses' work rounds carefully but found himself rushing back to his chair when one of his carers headed towards his room unexpectedly; The nurse applied a polite knock to the door before entering the room with a female stranger by her side whom wore an oversized scruffy trench coat that hid the equally scruffy clothes she wore beneath,

"Mr Emrys? This is Anna. She's going to be helping out around here for awhile in order to achieve some hours of community service" The nurse explained causing the scruffy young woman beside her to roll her eyes,

"You break into one corner shop and you end up a slave to some group of old toads" she grumbled causing Merlin to develop a crinkled amused smirk before retrieving a hardback book,

"Good, she can start by reading to me seeing as I have lost my glasses" he encouraged whilst offering the book towards Anna whom rolled her eyes once more before making her way towards the vacant chair, shuffling her feet as she did so; The nurse gave a smile and a nod of her head before leaving the room to tend to her other patients.

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Merlin couldn't help but watch Anna in amusement as she read with little enthusiasm and effort,

"Enough reading... You don't come to be as old as I am without the works of Shakespeare becoming like a thoroughly rehearsed song... Instead, we can go for a walk instead" the old man suggested with a twinkle in his eye that caused Anna to frown,

"I thought that the residents here weren't allowed to go outside without an authorised carer..." she reasoned but the old man's smile didn't fade,

"... Would you rather stay here and be a slave to a group of old toads all day?" he teased and Anna couldn't help but develop a smile of her own.

* * *

Anna had managed to help Mr Emrys sneak out of the care home and allowed him to link his quivering arm through her own so that she could assist him to walk down the side of a busy main road,

"Not much further..." Merlin rasped,

"Where exactly are we going?" Anna asked curiously as she continued to assist him, watching as he raised his free arm and pointed a shaking finger in the direction of the grey tower that sat upon a hill surrounded by deep water; Anna couldn't help but frown,

"I saw the news report yesterday... I don't think it's open to the public yet" she explained but the old man smiled,

"You needn't worry yourself. We shall only be sitting by the lake side whilst I wait for an old friend" he assured as they turned into a side dirt road that lead down towards the lake side.

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The two took a seat on a wooden bench by the lake side as they began to wait; Minuets soon turned into hours and the day grew dark as well as chilled causing Anna to stand and remove her trench coat before placing it around the old man's shoulders causing him to look at her surprised,

"... Thank you" he murmured; Anna nodded as she turned away from him and looked out at the vast lake... Merlin soon became curious,

"Why did you break into the shop you mentioned earlier?" he asked quietly, noticing how Anna kept her back to him,

"... I was starving... I could have waited until the morning but... I was embarrassed... and I tried telling the judge that I left what little money I could spare on the counter but... He and the judge were having none of it" she explained sadly and it was in the very next second that a meteor shower began to fall from the heavens; The wind blew fiercely causing Anna to develop an expression of concern as she turned back to Merlin,

"I'm sorry you're friend didn't turn up but I think we should go..." she insisted as she helped him to stand but Merlin simply watched the meteor shower with a smile on his face and shook his head,

"No... It's alright... He's coming..." the old man murmured and Anna slowly turned her head back to look out at the lake as it slowly began to glow in a peaceful blue light that slowly turned the waters of the lake transparent so that twisted stone archways covered in ivy decorated with blossoms of blue and pink could be seen as small lights danced upon the lake's surface... Anna could only watch in shock,

"... What the hell..." she whispered to herself as she stayed close to the old man's side as a light flew close towards them and willed it's surrounding light to die down so that it's blue humanoid form and fluttering wings could clearly be seen,

 _"The Sorcerer that shall assist in the coming of Albion returns... Yet he dares bring a mortal to the gates of our home"_ The winged creature spoke firmly but Merlin stood tall,

"The girl is my apprentice. You shall show her the same amount of respect that you show me" he defended and the creature nodded,

"I trust that the faith I showed in your kind when I entrusted my friend's care to you was not in vain" Merlin said, earning another nod,

 _"Myself, along with my brothers and sisters have watched over the king for the past several hours that time has permitted to pass through my realm... Yet the wound he obtained on the fields of Camlann is still healing... The Sidhe fear that it is too soon for your king to reenter the mortal realm"_ the creature spoke,

"...And yet the waters of Avalon have returned and the meteor shower has fallen signalling that a great evil is coming that endangers the coming of Albion" Merlin said simply with a frown that the Sidhe spokesman shared,

 _"This may be so. I do not deny... However, although myself and the rest of the Sidhe respect yourself and the dragon lord blood that flows through your veins but... The mortal blood you inherited from your mother has allowed you to age and weaken... The wounded king will still need tending to if permitted to reenter the mortal realm"_ the Sidhe explained and Merlin couldn't help but look down hopelessly at is aged and quivering hands... It seemed a long moment but Anna hesitantly stepped forward,

"I... He... He won't be alone... He'll have me to help him... I can't believe I'm saying this but... He can have some of my youth" Anna announced causing Merlin to look in her direction with a stunned expression; The Sidhe nodded before waving a hand in her direction,

 _"So be it"_ he said causing Anna's forearm to begin glowing in a light blue glow just as Merlin's entire body began to do the same; Anna's forearm became wrinkled and blistered as if it had been burned but yet she felt no pain... The glow around her forearm and Merlin's body faded allowing Anna to see the once old man in a much younger form and his clothes were now far too big for him,

"... Whoa" she murmured in surprised as Merlin looked at her with an expression that matched as he smiled,

"Thank you" he bid, to which Anna gave a polite nod in return before they both looked back towards the Sidhe,

 _"This arrangement changes things... Myself, my brothers and sisters are now happy to permit your king's return back to the mortal realm"_ he announced with a polite bow of his head before allowing himself to glow once more and quickly flew back into the conjured, transparent gateway that soon faded as time began moving slightly quicker, allowing the sun to begin rising as a boat sailed towards the lake side as it carried an unconscious young man dawned in rusted armour and a tattered, torn red cloak; Merlin smiled in relief,

"Arthur..." he murmured as Anna slowly moved past the boat, towards the lake side and slowly reached into the shallow waters, retrieving a stunning sword as she looked at it shocked,

"... Ok... Things just got interesting" she whispered to herself before looking towards, Merlin whom gave an apologetic look and innocent shrug of his shoulders.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for all your reviews so far! Please review in order to unlock chapter 3! :)**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Hidden**

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Merlin watched Anna's face... She looked lost and he couldn't help but feel guilty before taking a small step towards her,

"... Are you alright?" he asked in a quiet gentle tone causing her to look at him startled but soon relaxed and nodded,

"I... Yes... I... I'm not dreaming am I?" she asked knowingly and Merlin slowly nodded in confirmation before looking towards Arthur's unconscious form that still lay within the boat at the former lake's edge, damp due to the waters having been swallowed up by the earth below,

"We need to move him" Merlin told her with a desperate plea in his voice as he moved over to Arthur's side and began struggling to lift him... It didn't take long for Anna to begin helping him; Merlin soon developed an expression of concern,

"... I have no idea where to take him" he admitted but Anna wore a thoughtful expression before looking at him,

"I do" she assured as they helped the unconscious king to stand and remove him from his wooden vessel.

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Anna called a taxi which she and Merlin helped the unconscious Arthur into, earning a troubled look from the driver but Anna simply explained that he'd had a lot to drink on a medieval themed stag due; The driver easily accepted this explanation before carrying them to their destination... Merlin looked around at the scruffy, rundown apartment after Anna helped him to lay Arthur down upon a mattress that sat upon the floor,

"This is where you live?..." he asked softly; Anna nodded but soon changed the subject when she looked at him firmly,

"Ok, enough about me. I want answers... What the hell happened at the lake and... Why the hell did I let myself be dragged into this?" she demanded in frustration causing Merlin to offer a guilty expression,

"Well... My name is Merlin and... This is my master, Arthur Pendragon... I... I'm a sorcerer and... what you saw was the beginning of the coming of Albion... I brought you to the lake because... I knew I would need help. I would have erased the memory from your mind so that it would have been nothing more than a dream but... I... I never expected you to give me some of your youth... Why... Why did you do that?" Merlin asked curiously causing Anna's frustrations to relax as she looked at the ground sadly,

"I... I'm not entirely sure... I felt that... That I had to do it... That it was..." she tried; Merlin tilted his head in a curious and understanding manner,

"... That it was your destiny?..." he provided quietly causing Anna to look at him with an uncertain expression but she slowly nodded,

"... Yes... I guess you could say that" she murmured before looking towards Arthur whom had began to give off troubled murmurs within his now conscious slumber,

"... The care home are going to have the police out everywhere looking for me and... well... The old you" Anna said, putting her face in her hands in a hopeless manner,

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that... I need to go and collect some herbs that shall assist in Arthur's recovery" Merlin assured before heading towards the door,

"And what exactly am I supposed to do?" she demanded in panic,

"I know I have asked a lot of you already but... I really need your help, Anna... I need you to watch him until I return" Merlin pleaded to which she eventually nodded gently before watching Merlin rush away.

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Anna managed to remove the rusted armour and shirt from Arthur's trouble filled, slumbered body so that she could see the sword wound that tarnished the right side of his upper waist; Anna gave a silent wince as she thought of how painful it must be,

"... Gwen... Gw... Gwen..." Arthur murmured in his sleep, tempting Anna to place a fresh cool cloth to his forehead so that she could tend to his fever,

"How is he?" Merlin asked quickly as he rushed into the room with a handful of various herbs in his hand that held different scents similar to rosemary and mint,

"He has a fever and he keeps calling out for someone called Gwen... His wound looks painful" Anna pointed out and Merlin nodded as he came to Arthur's side, kneeling down and inspected the wound; Anna watched curiously as Merlin placed the herbs against Arthur's wound and whispered a handful of strange words before removing his hand but growled in frustration and once again placed his hand back on the wound,

 _"ad removendum tenebras infectio. Haec poena sana tenebris"_ he repeated again firmly before checking the wound again but soon developed a hopeless expression,

"I... I don't understand... The Sidhe sent me this spell in a vision... They assured me it would heal him... Remove the cause of death from his body and allow him to heal naturally..." Merlin murmured and Anna slowly placed her hand over his own and closed her eyes with a frown,

 _"ad... removendum... tenebras... infectio... Haec poena... sana tenebris..."_ she struggled as she repeated Merlin's words causing the young sorcerer to become stunned as Arthur's wound began glowing beneath the fresh herbs... and soon felt the fragment of Modred's sword fall from the wound that slowly sealed itself... Anna and Merlin could only look at each other stunned.

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 **Review for chapter 4 please!**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A New World**

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Merlin had gone out to gather provisions as well as more herbs that would aid Arthur's recovery; Anna was relaxing in her tattered chair, resting her eyes but soon opened them when she heard Arthur's groan as he stirred... She made her way over to him and checked his forehead and was happy to discover that his fever had finally broken; She retracted her hand when Arthur slowly opened his eyes,

"Wh... Where..." he mumbled as he tried to sit up but Anna gently made him lay back down,

"Whoa there, buddy. You're not fully recovered yet... Here, have some water" she insisted as she retrieved a glass of water and proceeded to help him take a few sips that he gladly accepted,

"... Thank you... Wh... Where am I?... I was... I was... I remember being wounded... Guinevere... Where..." he struggled as he once again tried to sit up again and Anna had no choice put to assist him,

"Calm down. Merlin will be back soon but until then you need to rest" Anna told him, watching as Arthur frowned,

"Merlin?... No, send for Gaius. I need a proper physician" he insisted just as Merlin came into the room,

"Oh good, you're finally awake" he acknowledged as Anna stood and approached him,

"He's asking for someone called, Gaius... I don't think he realises that he's no longer in Camelot" Anna told Merlin quietly causing the young sorcerer to nod in sad understanding,

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything to him... It's better coming from me" Merlin told her to which Anna agreed before going into another room, giving Arthur and Merlin their space.

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It was a few minuets later that there was a smash as Merlin fled into the room in which Anna now resided,

"Errrr... He didn't take it as well as I hoped... He broke your glass. I'll replace that, don't worry" Merlin told her causing Anna to roll her eyes before standing from her chair,

"I'll talk to him" she said, heading back into Arthur's room despite Merlin's protests.

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Arthur was laying on his side with the blanket pulled up over his shoulder,

"... Are you ok?" Anna asked gently,

"Leave me" Arthur ordered firmly in response causing Anna to fold her arms and develop an annoyed expression,

"Hey, all I did was ask you if you're ok. There's no reason to act like such a git" Anna told him firmly and Arthur quickly sat up and looked at her angrily,

"Well excuse me if I have just been informed that I have awoken in a world I no longer know nor recognise and everyone I ever knew is long dead including the woman I love!" he yelled in frustration and Anna slowly relaxed and nodded in sympathetic understanding,

"You're right, I'm sorry... I'm sure it's hard but... Your friend Merlin is here and... Well I can help in any way I can" she told him causing the king to turn away from her with a sigh,

"Merlin... Despite the fact that he is a very old friend... I feel awful because I would give anything for Guinevere to be here instead of him... I... I miss her..." Arthur murmured in admission; Anna slowly moved over to the bag of provisions and retrieved a pack of shirts, retrieving one from the bag and offered it to him,

"I understand this is hard but... Merlin explained to me that... Your return means the world needs you now more than ever" Anna told him as he accepted the shirt and pulled it on,

"I never asked for the world to need me..." Arthur murmured sadly,

"Yeah... Sometimes we just have to accept what the world throws our way" she said comfortingly as Merlin knocked on the door hesitantly; Anna nodded to him, letting him know that it was safe to come in and Merlin began explaining to Arthur about everything that had changed within the world... But little did the three friends know that the evil that threatened the coming of Albion was drawing closer and closer.

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 **Review for chapter 5.**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


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